Insurance claim adjusters have a difficult job. They take the brunt of angry client phone calls while managing a workload of dozens if not hundreds of claims at any given time. However, while customer service is part of the job, there are several ways to improve the experience to cut down on the number of complaints. Improving the customer experience isn’t just about resolving complaints either. Twenty percent of customers never complain at all; they let their wallet do the talking and find insurance elsewhere. The following suggestions can help improve the customer’s experience and loyalty.
- Follow up often until settlement. Unlike sales calls, customers always want to hear from their claim adjuster. Adjusters should call more often at the onset of a claim when the customer is most upset and in need of guidance. By maintaining frequent contact, the customer isn’t left wondering about the status of their claim or what steps they should take next.
- Provide emotional support. One of the most common customer complaints is that their insurance provider doesn’t care about them. While there isn’t enough time in the day for a claim adjuster to provide the amount of emotional support every single customer needs after an accident, showing even a little compassion goes a long way.
- Handle complaints with grace. Most of the time, a customer just wants someone to listen to them and apologize for the poor experience. While no adjuster like to listen to criticism, validating a customer’s frustration helps retention rates.
- Promote rapid action. Most customer complaints center on delays and lengthy claims processes. However, customers are the root cause for most of these delays. Pointing this out to the customer isn’t likely to yield a positive outcome; instead, the adjuster should encourage the customer to supply necessary documents as soon as possible.
Even when certain tasks are out of the adjusters’ hands, they can influence the outcome of a claim. If your company is struggling with customer retention rates, Actec can help. Contact us to learn more about improving your claims management processes.